To prevent the branch factions from slipping out of control, the headquarters always had many demands for them.
Fang Zhiyi suddenly laughed, So, Faction Leader, you have already considered it, have you not?
The old man was quite pleased with Fang Zhiyi's form of address. Looking at the young man before him, he said, I do not know your background, but from your eyes, I can tell you have ambition, just like me when I was young. He suddenly struck out, tapping Fang Zhiyi's chest. At such a close distance, Fang Zhiyi did not even have time to react before feeling a wave of numbness. He could not even lift his hands.
The old man placed his hand over Fang Zhiyi's heart, and after a moment, he sighed, Your meridians are severed. Otherwise, with your reflexes, you might have become a first-rate martial arts master in the future. What a pity.
He stood up. Our Heaven-Shrouding Sect has always followed the principle of acting as one pleases, but in recent years, since the new Cult Master took power, the sect has gradually lost its true flavor. It is fine here since we are just a branch faction meant to draw enemy fire, but over at the headquarters, everyone is in a state of panic. The Cult Master trusts treacherous villains. I am afraid the Heaven-Shrouding Sect's days are numbered.
Fang Zhiyi felt the sensation in his body slowly returning.
This was inevitable. The so-called acupoint sealing was merely using internal energy to strike the acupoints, causing a temporary neural block. The kind that froze people completely was not acupoint sealing; it was magic.
I am old, so it does not matter. But all these people here need to live. I just want to find a way out for them while I am still alive.
He turned around, his eyes shining brightly. He no longer looked like the confused old fool from before.
I do not know what you want, but if what you say next does not satisfy me, I will not play along with you anymore. His withered body erupted with an imposing aura. You are very dangerous.
Fang Zhiyi looked at him and also slowly stood up. What I want to do does not conflict with what you want to do. I just want to make things better, to return certain things to the way they should be.
And so?
Fang Zhiyi suddenly laughed. In the martial world, besides the demonic cults, the orthodox sects, and the common people, what else is there?
The old man looked at Fang Zhiyi's smiling face, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
The Imperial Court.
Fang Zhiyi smiled cunningly. Since we cannot do it ourselves, we might as well pull the Imperial Court in to do it together.
The old man also laughed. I thought you might have some brilliant insight. Do you think the Imperial Court would cooperate with people like us? On what grounds? His hand slowly raised, four fingers pressed together. This old man originally thought you would say something useful. It seems I expected too much.
Seeing that the old man was about to attack him, Fang Zhiyi chuckled lightly. Actually, I am here to negotiate a deal with you.
Wang Ergou was a bit anxious. He kept feeling like he had done something wrong. Should he not have brought that kid back?
Looking at the tightly closed door, he paced back and forth until the door opened, and Fang Zhiyi walked out with his arm around the Branch Leader's shoulders.
He was dumbfounded.
What? You are going to take the imperial examinations??? Wang Ergou looked at Fang Zhiyi, who shared a room with him, his face full of question marks.
Fang Zhiyi nodded. Yeah, I am awesome like that.
No, brother, did the Branch Leader beat your brains out? We are a demonic cult! A demonic cult! He was a bit agitated, as the whole thing sounded ridiculous. Let alone a demonic cult, who in the martial world would run off to take the imperial exams? Instead of being a proper cult member, you are going to take the imperial exams? Are you not afraid of getting struck by lightning?
Fang Zhiyi took a deep breath, fighting down the urge to beat him up. You do not understand. Remember, only you and I know about this. If you breathe a word of it... Fang Zhiyi made a throat-slitting gesture.
Wang Ergou covered his mouth, but could not hold it in. Does the Branch Leader not know?
Fang Zhiyi sighed. This guy was a good person, but his brain really did not seem to work too well.
In any case, Fang Zhiyi set off the next day, and Wang Ergou was assigned to follow him.
The Branch Leader was still watching them from afar. Wang Ergou felt a bit uneasy. No, are you really going to take the exams? Do you even know how to read?
Fang Zhiyi ignored him.
Watching the two figures recede into the distance, a guardian asked, Branch Leader, this person's origins are suspicious. Are we really just letting him leave?
He still held a grudge over the kick to the groin he received yesterday.
What is there to fear? I am very interested in the proposal he made... The old man watched the two silhouettes disappear and clapped his hands. Also, from now on, call me Faction Leader.
Yes, Branch Leader.
...
Xue'er! Hurry! Two men dragged a half-dead man back into the courtyard. Jiang Xue rushed forward nervously. How is my brother?
Nothing serious, he just suddenly had another episode and killed several people. Brother Xiao and I barely managed to subdue him.
A woman in yellow ran out, her eyes full of worry and affection as she looked at Gu Cheng.
No one is chasing you, right?
Xiao Yidan nodded. Do not worry, I handled it. I set the scene on fire.
Hurry and help him inside, I will go brew the medicine, Meng Xiaodie urged.
Jiang Xue watched her older brother being carried into the house. That so-called Thousand-Year Tai Sui did not work at all!
It is alright, Xiaoxue, there will be a way. As long as we are all together, we will figure something out, Meng Xiaodie comforted her.
Jiang Xue glanced at her and nodded gently.
So what you are saying is, you joined our Heaven-Shrouding Sect just for money? Wang Ergou finally sorted out his thoughts but still found it unbelievable. Brother, tell me, are you from the Beggars' Sect?
Fang Zhiyi smiled. The most crucial thing for taking the imperial exams is money. Whether it is for registration, finding a guarantor, or basic living expenses, what does not cost money? That Faction Leader of yours, surnamed Zuo, could figure it out. Risking a bit of loose silver to gamble on a future, if it were you, would you not take that bet?
Wang Ergou pondered this. I do not get it, and I cannot wrap my head around it. We are people of the martial world, why would we go take some imperial exams? It is too embarrassing.
Anyway, just follow me. Your mission is to keep a close eye on me, is it not?
Wang Ergou smiled awkwardly. You really are smart. When the Branch Leader gave me my orders, he said to watch you...
Fang Zhiyi returned to the original owner's hometown, Yangcheng. He just took Wang Ergou for a stroll around his dilapidated home, greeted a few neighbors in passing, and then headed straight for the old scholar's house on the street.
The servant opened the door and was initially surprised to see Fang Zhiyi, then habitually waved his hand. There is no work for you. I thought you died out there. Go away, go away.
Wang Ergou was immediately displeased. Why are you being so rude, you rascal?
Looking at the broad-shouldered and thick-waisted Wang Ergou, and the short blade at his waist, the servant suddenly felt afraid. What they feared most were these so-called martial artists. A single disagreement and they would really hack people down, then run away, and the authorities would not be able to catch them.
Fang Zhiyi stepped in front of Wang Ergou and bowed slightly. Please pass a message to Scholar Li for me. I have important matters to discuss with him in detail.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
